Thread moving and controlling means for knitting machines, etc.



April 21; 1925. r 1,534,556

R. E. WALLISER THREAD MOVING AND CONTROLLING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES, ETC

Filed May 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [raw/Liar M3533, Hui/652E was? m, g 9% a ga 33% 8.9km I April 21, 1925. 1,534,556

R. E. WA LLISER ,THREAD MOVING AND CONTROLLING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES, ETC

Filed My 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J, is T T T 1&4.

[whic fi fim'psazfi fiofifizlif fifazlsar Raw 9* m W 03 M fill! afford Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED s'rA'ras ROBERT E. WALLISER, OF CHICAGO, .IILTNOIB.

THREAD MOVING AN D CONTROLLING MEANS FOR mc'nnms, ETC.

Application filed Kay 14,

To all whom it may concem:

. Be it known that I, Ronnnr E. WALLISER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread Moving and Controlling Meansfor Knitting Machines, Etc., of which the following is a specification. I

Various forms of fancy trimmings are made upon straight knitting machines in which fancy ordesign producing threads are looped in various shapes, the loops extending transversely to the length of the trimming and being held in place by knitted threads which run in the direction of the length of the trimming. Numerousfmachines have been made from time-to-time for producing said types of trimming. The usual form of machine for such purpose employs a number of elongated bars known as the design thread guide bars which'extend transversely of the machine. These bars are usually shifted lengthwise alternately in opposite directio s by monitors located at opposite sides or the machine, the monitors each carrying a series, of metallic plates linked together. Each'plate has pins of various lengths thereon for contacting with and moving said bars, the plates being successively moved to bring different groups of ins in contacting positionrelatively to the bars. The amount of movement of said bars depends upon the length of the ins. 'In this manner the bars can be shifte to cause the designthreads to be looped to different extents to produce various designs in the finished trimming. However, owing to the fact that the metallic plates which carry said pins must be comparatively bulky and heavy, the number of plates in a series is necessarily very limited, and consequently the number of possible designs is limited.

One object of my invention is to give greater possibilities to knitting machines of the above type by providing actuating and controlling means for said bars which will enable a practically unlimited number of designs to he produced. 7

Another ob ect of my invention is to provide actuating and controlling means for thread which will insure the movement of the thread into various predetermined posi tions in the production of designs of various characters.

A still further object is to so make my in 1924;. Serial No, 713,248.

vention that it can be applied to machines of various types where it is desired to shift threads to various extents and to accurately control the extent of such shifting movement.

Another objectis to make ,myinvention of a practical and durable character and so that it will not readily get out of order.

These objects and other advantageous ends whichwill be set forth hereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- 1 Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating my invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3- is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing some of the features of my invention, and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of one of the thread guide bars.

Referring to the drawings, 10 represents the end portion of a knitting machine which may be of any make and which has thread guide bars- 11. These bars when moved lengthwise cause the design producing threads to'be shoglgled or moved laterally to produce loops in t e design threads as previously mentioned. The drive shaft of the knitting machine is shown at 12.

In the form of my invention illustrated,

I have shown a structure operative to move and efiect thestopping of the-thread guide bars 11 at predetermined times during the operation of the knitting machine.v Said structure includes a frame 13 to which are secured a number of air cylinders 14. Each of said air cylinders has a piston 15 operative therein. The pistons have rods 16 secured thereto and these rods are respectively connected to the bars 11. Each cylinder has air inlet pipes 1? and 18 connected thereto at opposite ends and these pipes may be connected with any source of supply (not illustrated) so as to supply air under pressure to the opposite ends of the cylinders. Vaives l9 and 2d are mounted so as to be free to oscillate in the opposite ends of each cylinder 14 for controlling the admission of air into the cylinder at op osite sides of the piston and for allowing t is en hanst of the air from the cylinder. lit may be here stated that when one of the valves is moved intoa position admit air into one end oi the cyder, the other valve is Kidd lllld to be moved into a position allowing exhaust of the air from the cylinder and vice versa, when the latter mentioned valve is moved to admit air into the cylinder, the other valve can be moved into an exhaust position. In this manner the pistons 15 can be made to reciprocate within their respective cylinders to cause the reciprocation of the rods 16 and respective bars 11. Each of the valves 19 has an arm or lever 21 connected thereto, and each of the valves 20 has an arm or lever 22 connected thereto, and these arms are employed to facilitate movement of the valves. A number of supplemental frames 23 are mounted on the frame 13 adjacent the respective rods 16, there being one frame 23 for each rod 16. Each of the frames 23 1ncludes standards 24- at opposite ends and through the standards of each frame 23 extends a pivot rod 25 as clearly shown in Fig ure 3. A series of stop plates 26 are pivotally mounted on each pivot rod 25: Each of the piston rods 16- has a stop collar 27 ad'ustably secured thereto so that when the 10 s 16 are reciprocated, the collals 27 will take the movement of the rods 16. Each of the stop plates 26 has an endportion 28 which can be swung downwardly into the path of movement of an adjacent collar 27 so that said collar will abut the end 28 of the stop plate which has been swung and the movement of the collar and respective rod 16 will be stopped. The stop plates 26 are arranged in laminated formation side-byside and hence have no lateral movement.

Bv swinging various ones of the stop plates 26 to lower their ends 28 into the path of an adjacent collar 27, the corresponding rod 16- can he stopped at various positions in its possible path of travel and in this manner the bars 11 can be moved lengthwise to various extents and the design threads, which are diagrammatically shown at 29 in Figure 4, can be moved various extents relatively to the needles of the knit- .ting machine. The stop plates 26 have ends 30 which are normally held by springs 31 to keep the ends 28 in aposition out of the paths of the respective stop collars 27 and said ends 30 are connected by cords 32 with hooks 33 of a jacquard 34 which is mounted on the top of the frame 13. This jacquard can be of any well known type such for ex-- ample as an ordinary single lift jacquard having knives 35. 1 have shown these knives 35 movable upward and downward by rods 36 controlled from eccentrics 37 on a shaft 38, the shaft 33 being connected by a bevel gear 39 with a bevel gear 10 on the shaft 12.

It will be understood that each of the plates 26 is connected with a cord 32 and that each of the cords 32 is connectedto a respective hook 33 of the jacquard. In the drawing l have not illustrated all of the cords 32 and hooks 33 in order not to commamas a respective hook 45 of the jacquard. The

valve levers 21 and 22 have springs 46 operative thereon and normally tend to move the levers into their lowered positions to open the respective valves to the atmosphere and allow exhaust of the air from the cylinders. However, the raising of the knives of the jacquard will cause the swinging of the various valve levers into a position to allow air under pressure to enter the cylinders to effect the operation of the pistons and the designs on the cards of the jacquard are cut so that when one of the valve levers of a cylinder is raised, the respective hook of the other valve lever will be moved out of the path of the ascending knife of the jacquard and hence said latter valve lever will be allowed to remain down due to the action of its spring 46.

As illustrated, I have shown four bars 11, four cylinders 14, four rods 16, four frames 23 and the jacquard with four knives 35, eachknife 35 controlling the valves of one cylinder and the plates 26 of an adjacent frame 23. Thus a unit comprises a cylinder with its piston rod and stop collar and a frame 23 with its series of plates 26. Furthermore, each unit controls the movement of one of the bars 11. Owing to the great scope of the possible design of the jacquard with the disposition of the plates 26, the possibilities of design production effected by the movement of the bars 11 are greatly increased and by employing my invention to effect operation and control of the bars 11, a. greater variety of designs is possible.

In certain of the claims 1 have used the term thread guide and by said term is meant any means which when moved will move the thread.

Furthermore, while I have shown my invention as operative to move four of the bars 11, itiwill be understood that it can be employed to operate more or less than four of said bars 11.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. A thread guide; a source of energy normall held against action; operating means or said thread guide; pattern-controlled means for releasing said energy to efiect movement of said thread guide through the medium of said 0 crating means; and means for limiting to difierent extents the movement of said thread guide and also controlled by said pattern means.

2. A thread guide; fluid power operating means for moving the thread guide; stop.- ping means for said guide; and pattern means common to said operating means and stopping means fo-rfcontrolling the action of I means.

4. A thread guide; a cylinder; a piston therein operatively connected to said thread guide; means for admitting pressure fluid to said cylinder to move said piston and including a valve; and pattern-controlled means for eflecting operation of said valve.

5. A thread guide; a cylinder; a piston therein; a rod connected to said iston for moving the thread guide; means or admitting pressure fluid into said cylinder to move said piston and including a valve; a series of stop members; and pattern-controlled means for effecting operation of said valve and for selectively moving said'stop members intopositions to stop movement of said pistonrodin different positions.

6. A thread guide; power operated means for moving said thread guide; a series of pivotally mounted stop members, said power operated means having a stop portion thereon; and pattern-controlled means for selectively swinging said stop members into the path of travel of said stop portion for arresting the movement of said first means.

7. A thread guide; a cylinder; valves for admitting pressure fluid at opposite ends of the cylinder; a piston in said cylinder; :1 rod connected to said piston for operating said thread guide; .and attern-controlled means for effecting operation of said valves whereby the rod and thread guide are reciprocated. 8. A thread guide; a cylinder; valves for admitting pressure fluid at opposite ends of the cylinder; a piston in said cylinder; a rod connected to said piston for operating said thread guide; a stop portion on said rod; a series of stop members; and-patterncontrolled means for operating said valves and for selectively moving said stop members into the path of movement of said stop portion of the rod.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT E. WALLISER. Witnesses:

A. IIANNA, 

